Insights.

Pack a punch. Thy will be judged. Make your packaging design count.

Whether you’re driving a brand new business or heading up one that is four generations strong, deciding how to present your life’s work can be terrifying.

We know there’s a lot riding on this. After all, packaging can make or break a product. It will inevitably define you, be the visual imprint that lingers in people’s minds. It can inspire trust or create doubt. There is much on the line.

Designing the look and nutting out the vibe of your market offering is not the time to be meek. Or uncertain. Or humble. It’s not the time to head into the battle unprepared and lacking strategy.

We’ve met many founders with a heap of awesome ideas who prefer to test the waters with a gentle dip of the toe, putting all effort and energy into entry level products or services. “Let’s see how that goes before we deliver our piece de resistance,” they reason. It’s safe, it’s risk averse and it sure is predictable. But unfortunately, it’s also a surefire way to make the smallest splash in the pond.

First impressions count, and you only get one shot at it. Did you go into business to be the bridesmaid or the bride? The understudy or the lead? The second, third or fourth choice, or the market leader?

If you want to be the top dog of your market, then you need to believe in and back your best. From the word go.

This means that when approaching your launch, you dump your floatation device, forget paddling for dear life and dive in with a powerful stroke instead. Start by focusing on your most meaningful, motivating, inspirational product. This may be your most collectable or limited release product. It could be your best seller. Your signature. Your highest price point. Or it could be the product that you most believe in most, the one you can rabbit on about till the sun comes up. Whichever one it is, concentrate on it. And forget, for a moment, about that safe, affordable base offering (that will have its time, too—later).

There’s a very good reason for leading out with your premier offering. This is the one that pumps motivation and inspiration to an all-time high. There’s a contagious enthusiasm and a palpable passion when discussing it. And it’s so important for us to capture that excitement, that hunger, that zeal and that belief in your possibilities. Let us bring it to life!

When you join noggins with us, we’ll explore novel design thinking, discover your true potential, set up future possibilities and ensure you really make your mark on the world. It’s all about creating the maximum impact so you can attract a following (or even greater following), which will very likely stick with you if you keep delivering the goods.

We can’t stress the importance of setting this benchmark. Everything else to do with your brand will follow suit. Your look, your sales, your staff, your culture, your growth potential, the worth of your business. Everything. As two spotty graduates, we knew we had to differentiate ourselves from the packs of graphic designers being churned from courses all over the country. We knew the kind of work we wanted to do, and the kind of design thinking we wanted to bring to the table. And we had to back it. This meant sometimes turning down some pretty good moula, but we knew we couldn’t have the calibre of clients and awards we have today without setting ourselves up as intelligent design thinkers.

Back to that entry level product, the safe one, the one you wanted to test the waters with it. Once you’ve shown the market exactly how extraordinary your greatest product is, it’s time for this one’s time in the sun. See, from a holistic perspective, everything should sit around that initial show stopper.

So let’s spend your time wisely. New businesses, let’s concentrate on the most valuable offerings in your business and really leverage it. Established businesses, let’s take it to the next stratosphere.